1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to methods and devices for pass through sliding drapery mounting systems, and, more particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to drapery rod mounting systems and associated drapery hangers that permit the hangers to directly engage and slide freely over securely mounted rods.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional support systems for draperies typically include a horizontally extending rod and hangers or hooks that engage the drapery at a lower end and are supported on the rod at an upper end. Typically, the span of the drapes is such that the rod must be supported at its endpoints and in the middle. This mid section support prevents the mid section of the rod from bending downwardly under the weight of the drapes. Typically, the drapes need to be openable to permit light to enter the room. This requires that the hangers be free to move longitudinally over the rod to carry the drapes between open and closed positions. The intermediate support for the rod interferes with this longitudinal movement of the hanger along the rod. Certain expedients had been previously proposed to facilitate the movement of hooks or hangers relative to a supporting rod where the rod enjoys intermediate support. These include, for example, Bradley U.S. Pat. No. 2,538,755 (rotatable rod supported from below by bearings mounted in a support bracket, and curtain hooks engaging the top side of the rotatable rod through bias mounted rollers so that the curtain hooks are driven laterally of the rod as the rod rotates), and Bradley U.S. Pat. No. 2,741,923 (curtain rod suspended from above on hangers and “C” shaped bearing mounted curtain hooks traversably mounted open mouth up on the curtain rod). Silverman U.S. Pat. No. 2,320,308 proposes a sliding shower curtain hook on a rod, but shower curtains are generally short enough that the rod does not require the provision of any intermediate support. Where ornamental rods, particularly round rods, are employed to moveably support drapes, typical support systems employ torus shaped rings that fully encircle and slide over the rod. The drapes are hung from the lower sides of the rings. The intermediate rod supports prevent these rings from sliding axially of the rod past its midpoint mounting. The prior art devices and methods are not without their shortcomings. A major shortcoming of typical prior art devices and methods is that the structures were complicated and therefore expensive and difficult to make and install. For example, the provision and mounting of bearings on the hooks and rods greatly complicated the prior devices. The proposed expedients for mounting the rods were complicated and expensive to make, and required considerable skill and time to mount. The prior proposed expedients were prone to failure. For example, the failure of just one of a dozen or more bearings rendered the whole system inoperable. The expense associated with the production, installation, and maintenance of the prior art devices foreclosed their usage in many markets.
These and other difficulties of the prior art have been overcome according to the present invention.